Johns Creek's Night Sky Ordinance (Section 4.9.4.B) limits light trespass at a residential or nature-preserve property line to 0.1 foot-candle vertical (measured 3 ft above grade) and 0.5 foot-candle at other property lines. Flood/spot lamps must point no higher than 45 degrees above straight down when visible off-site, and security lighting may not glare onto neighbors.
Johns Creek directly regulates light trespass (spill light) in Section 4.9.4 of the Zoning Ordinance's Night Sky provisions. Subsection B requires fixtures to be located, aimed, or shielded so that light trespass at a residential or nature-preserve property line does not exceed 0.1 foot-candle vertical at 3 feet above grade, and that light trespass at other property lines does not exceed 0.5 foot-candle vertical at 3 feet above grade. The Ordinance also sets a table of maximum foot-candles at property lines, including rights-of-way: 1.0 maximum where abutting a residential or agricultural use, and 1.5 where abutting office/institutional or commercial/industrial uses. Subsection C requires flood or spot lamps to be positioned no higher than 45 degrees above straight down (halfway between vertical and horizontal) when the source is visible from any off-site residential property or public roadway. Subsection D requires shielded fixtures to be installed and maintained so the shielding remains effective. Section 4.9.5.C governs security lighting: it must be directed toward the targeted area, and sensor-activated lighting must be positioned to prevent direct glare and lighting into others' properties or a public right-of-way, and not be triggered by off-property activity. Illumination levels are measured at any point along the property line (Section 4.9.4.F). Georgia has no statewide light-trespass statute, so these local standards govern.
Lighting that spills onto a neighbor above the 0.1 or 0.5 foot-candle limits, flood/spot lamps aimed too high, or security lighting that glares onto adjacent property or a right-of-way is non-conforming and subject to code-enforcement correction. Compliance plans and photometric data are required before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued (Section 4.9.7), and relief requires a Board of Zoning Appeals variance.
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